In the past few years, the power dynamic in the Italian Serie A has shifted noticeably. Of course, Juventus have stayed on top with little trouble, but the decline of both Inter Milan and AC Milan-major football clubs that won league titles as recently as 2010 and 2011 (respectively)-has left something a vacuum near the top of the table. A number of football clubs have spent the past two or three seasons jockeying for position and trying to worm their way into the top five, from AS Roma to Lazio and Fiorentina.

UC Sampdoria have also been pulling out all of the stops in recent years, though the Genoa-based soccer club hasn't yet seen as much success as Roma, Lazio or Fiorentina. Still, while Sampdoria haven't found their way into the Serie A top five just yet (they finished seventh for the 2014 2015 season), their narrative arc has still been impressive to watch. So what are Sampdoria prospects for 2015 - 2016? Can they edge into the Serie A top 5?

A Rise from the Ashes

Even since then, the wearers of the Sampdoria soccer jersey have improved bit by bit each season. In 2012 2013, they tallied 11 wins, 10 draws, and 17 losses to finish at 14th. In 2013 2014, they increased their win count by one and moved up to 12th place. And this past season, as Inter and AC Milan fell to eighth and 10th place, respectively, the Blue-ringed managed a record of 13 wins, 17 draws, and eight losses to finish seventh.

Keeping the Loss Count Low

If the Blue-ringed are going to have a shot at a top-five finish for the 2015 2016 soccer season, they are going to need to win at least six or seven more games than they won last year. However, what made the Genoa-based club's 2014 2015 campaign so impressive was the fact that they managed to keep their loss count so low.

Indeed, with only eight losses, Sampdoria was the third least defeated football club in the entire Serie A last season. Juventus, of course, was the most consistent squad in the division, going nearly undefeated with just three of their 38 games ending in losses. AS Roma, the league runners-up, also lost fewer matches (six, to be exact) than Sampdoria.

The Blue-ringed were the only other football squad on the table with single-digit losses, with the clubs occupying the third through sixth place slots (Lazio, Fiorentina, Napoli, and Genoa) recording 10 or 11 defeats apiece.

That defensive consistency paid off for Sampdoria. In 2015 2016, the soccer club will get to participate in the UEFA Europa League for the first time in many years. Normally, their seventh place finish wouldn't have merited a spot in the prestigious tournament, but since Genoa CFC couldn't get a license to partake in the competition, the Blue-ringed were allowed to take over the spot.

The 2015 2016 Season

Sampdoria fans enjoyed a number of exciting moments during the 2014 2015 season, including a 3-1 win over Fiorentina, an at-home shutout of Internazionale, and a hard-fought draw in a December away match against Juventus. Will the strong momentum continue into the new season?

We'll find out the answer to that question on August 23rd, when the Blue-ringed launch their new season with a home match against Carpi-a club recently promoted up from Serie B. Prepare for the match with a new Sampdoria jersey 2015 2016 from Soccer Box.